Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Yes, I know, the police is our friend and wants the best for all of us. But how do you explain the following?

Paul Pritchard says he took high-quality video of the Oct. 14 "incident" (emphasis mine) where police confronted 40-year-old Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport and just minutes later was dead.

The Victoria lawyer [Paul Pearson], acting for Mr. Pritchard, says the video is an excellent version of events, clearly indicating what happened in the minutes before police arrived, the use of the taser [...].

[The Victoria lawyer] says his client willingly surrendered the video to RCMP and was assured it would be returned, but was contacted the next day and told investigators would not hand it back.

I'm sure we can trust the RCMP when they'll say it's in the best public interest to withhold the video (wink wink), but what about the photographer, doesn't he have any "rights"?

“Mr. Pritchard has no difficulty whatsoever with the police having a copy of the footage that he took,” Mr. Pearson said. “The difference here is police have taken the original and aren't giving it back.”

(from CBC)Pritchard's lawyer, Paul Pearson, has filed documents in B.C. Supreme Court demanding that at least a copy of the video be given to his client.

"It's not the subject, as I understand it, currently of a criminal investigation. It's not a court exhibit. There is in fact very old law that says if you have somebody else's property in your possession and they ask for it back, you have to give it back to them."

The guy shot the video, handed it over to the police (indeed, in the best public interest), and now he wants back what is rightfully his, his own copy of the tape. RCMP, it's time to give it back before becoming suspect of next cover up.

3 comments:

Anonymous
said...

The only reason that he wants his video back is so that he can sell it to the sensationalist media and profit personally from the death of another person. Don't kid yourself that he has the interest of the public at heart......it the interest on the money....

There could be many reasons why he wants this video back sooner than later, but smearing him in the manner you did (his "only reason" is money) is not worthy of a response.

Nevertheless, I don't blame him for "whatever" reason he wants his video back. If it belongs to him he should be able to do as he pleases.

It's very "clever" of you to not leave your name, anonymous, because I'm sure if Paul is as bad as you have described he is, he would have sued you too. And I can't blame him.

The next time please leave your libelous responses at the doors of the sensationalist media. I tend to delete extreme right-wing trolls, so I discourage further commenting. I delete those messages with a click of a button, and a smile on the face :)

if the photographer and owner loses his rights, then you might as well throw out the charter of rights of freedoms along with it.

The truth is all Canadians aught to be outraged over this story committed by the admittedly corrupt RCMP. by giving the police this power people are literally dieing, and having four officers pin you down and taser you multiple times. should we be surprised?

I really do hope this blows up in the media. and when he wins, and when he gets his video back, people will see the real truth of this horrible murder committed by those sworn to protect us.